Compared to the day they met at Prince Su’s mansion, Liang Muchen looked much better.

Her previously gaunt cheeks were now fuller, and when her gaze met Rongrong’s, she smiled warmly.

With just one glance, Rongrong guessed that the bridal night had likely gone smoothly.

As the saying goes, “When people are happy, their spirits are high.”

When someone is truly joyful, even if they don’t smile, their eyes and expressions naturally reveal their happiness.

“Your Highness, the princes have arrived,” someone announced.

Judging by the time, it was just after the morning court session.

The Empress responded, “Let them come in.”

A moment later, four princes entered the pavilion.

Though the pavilion was originally spacious, the presence of four large men made it feel crowded.

Rongrong considered standing up to offer her seat, but noticing that none of the others were doing so, she decided to stay seated, as offering just one cushion wouldn’t make much of a difference.

The four princes bowed in unison, greeting the Empress, “Wishing Mother good health.”

The Empress exchanged pleasantries with them, and then dismissed everyone except Prince Qing.

Perhaps because of their previous unpleasant encounter at Kunning Palace, the Empress, looking at Prince Qing’s calm expression, found herself unable to say the usual words of family harmony she had prepared.

It was Princess Zhaoyang who broke the awkward silence, “Congratulations, Fifth Brother! With such a great beauty like Muchen in your household now, you must be overjoyed.”

Rongrong couldn’t help but admire Zhaoyang for her words.

Liang Muchen came from a noble background, and it was an unexpected twist of fate that she became a secondary consort to Prince Qing.

Recently, the Emperor and Empress had showered her with gifts, compensating for her position.

Although she held the title of a secondary consort, the Emperor and Empress treated her as a daughter-in-law.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to humiliate her in front of the Empress like one might do with the consort of Prince Gong.

Instead, it was necessary to win her over. Calling her “Lady Consort” might hurt her feelings, but directly addressing her as “Fifth Sister-in-law” would break social norms.

Therefore, simply calling her “Muchen” was the most suitable option—it showed familial closeness while avoiding issues of rank.

Prince Qing’s gaze involuntarily drifted towards Liang Muchen.

When their eyes met, he quickly looked away as if struck by lightning.

In that fleeting moment, Rongrong, the Empress, Princess Zhaoyang, and Prince Qing’s consort all noticed.

“Princess, you must be joking. Everyone in this pavilion is more beautiful than me,” Liang Muchen said, unaware of the exchanged glances.

After Prince Qing swiftly looked away, she pouted slightly before turning to respond to Zhaoyang.

The Empress, deep in thought, glanced at Liang Muchen and then at the evasive Prince Qing.

Suddenly, her mood lightened, and she laughed heartily, “Yes, everyone here is beautiful. Anru, bring out the gifts I’ve prepared for these beauties.”

Anru was puzzled at first but understood when the Empress lightly tapped the round fan in her hand.

“I’ll go get them right away,” she said.

Anru had noticed the Empress’s troubled mood ever since Prince Qing left the other day.

Despite her efforts, nothing seemed to cheer her up.

But now, with the Empress smiling, Anru could sense a change.

The Empress giving out gifts was a clear sign that her mood had greatly improved.

Anru quickly went back to Kun Ning Palace to get something.

On a Huangli wood tray, four palace fans of different styles were neatly arranged.

The Empress said, “The Internal Affairs Bureau has made a new batch of palace fans. I kept a few of the best ones. With the heat coming soon, each of you should pick one. They can be used to shade from the sun or to fan the air.”

“It’s really hot, so this is a timely gift,” Zhaoyang said, eyeing the topmost fan—a beautiful gold-woven fan with a white ivory handle.

She immediately reached for it. “Since Mother favors me, I won’t be polite.”

The Empress gave her a stern look and used a round fan to cover the gold fan, saying, “Muchen is a newcomer, so she should pick first.”

“Oh Mother, you’re making me seem stingy. Fine, let Muchen choose first.” Zhaoyang said coquettishly.

Although she spoke this way, she wasn’t actually worried. Everyone knew she wanted that particular fan, so they would naturally let her have it to avoid offending her.

Liang Muchen hesitated, “Please let the Princess and the Lady choose first.”

The Empress smiled, “If you don’t choose, let Liu Li pick one for you.”

Liang Muchen blushed, lowered her eyes with a smile, and glanced at Prince Qing.

Prince Qing, who was standing by bored, took the gold fan and handed it to Liang Muchen.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

As Liang Muchen thanked him shyly, Zhaoyang was fuming.

Prince Qing had always enjoyed teasing her, and it was clear he had given the fan to Liang Muchen on purpose because he knew she liked it.

“Fifth Brother!”

“What?” Prince Qing acted innocent, seeing Zhaoyang’s angry face and looking more amused.

Zhaoyang turned her head sharply, ignoring him, and huffed in anger.

The Empress watched the siblings bicker with amusement and said, “Look at how you’ve angered your sister. You should pick a good fan for her to make up for it.”

Prince Qing examined the remaining fans on the tray and picked a peony-patterned fan, handing it to Zhaoyang.

“Here, the peony represents the most beautiful flowers, which suits you perfectly.”

Zhaoyang liked this flattery and immediately cheered up, accepting the fan.

All the fans that Anru brought were top-quality, and although Zhaoyang had been interested in the ivory-handled fan, it was just a bit more novel.

“Take them all. I like these fans and took them out for you.”

The Princess of Qing didn’t take any, and Rongrong, not wanting to seem greedy, decided to take whichever was left.

The Empress, sensing Rongrong’s feelings, turned to the Princess of Qing, “Why don’t you choose one?”

The Princess of Qing smiled gently, “Since everyone here is either a newcomer or a special guest, I’m just one of the family. I’ll take what’s left.”

Her words were subtly critical, clearly unhappy that Liang Muchen had chosen first.

Rongrong found the situation rather dull and decided not to decline.

She smiled graciously, “Thank you for your generosity, Princess. I’ll gladly accept.”

Among the four exquisite palace fans, besides the ivory-handled fan Zhaoyang liked, there was another special fan.

This fan had an ink wash painting of a flower. At first glance, it looked like a few blobs of ink, but upon closer inspection, it revealed an elegant charm.

Rongrong picked up the fan and grew increasingly fond of it.

Liang Muchen turned to look at Rongrong’s fan and noticed the ink blobs, frowning slightly. “This style… seems familiar,” she thought, trying to recall the name associated with it.

“These are the genuine works of Yan Daozi,” said Prince Qing.

Yan Daozi was a renowned artist of the time.

He was indifferent to fame and fortune, avoided powerful figures, and traveled the world alone, excelling in freehand painting.

His style was grand and unrestrained, and his works were priceless.

Liang Muchen didn’t expect Prince Qing to respond to her earlier remark.

She looked at him and smiled faintly.

Prince Qing, however, acted as if he hadn’t seen her smile and quickly averted his gaze.

The Empress had been watching the two of them closely and noticed the entire exchange.

When she turned to Rongrong, her expression became even more kind. “You have good taste. If we’re talking about value, this fan of yours is the most valuable among them all.”

“It’s not just about the value,” An Ru said with a smile from the side. “Yan Daozi’s genuine works are something you can’t buy even with real gold and silver. The master travels the world, making his home wherever he pleases. A few days ago, he arrived in Yangzhou. Eunuch Min from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau found out where he was staying and brought fine wine to request a painting as a gift for the Emperor and Empress. To everyone’s surprise, Master Yan took up his brush and painted this flower on an embroiderer’s fan. Eunuch Min discarded the original handle and had this fan specially made to present to the Empress.”

“So this fan has such a story behind it. I am truly fortunate. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift.”

Rongrong didn’t understand much about painting, but she found herself captivated by the fan.

Despite the seemingly simple ink blobs, they depicted flowers in a way that she never grew tired of admiring.

Princess Qing said nothing as she picked up the only remaining light silk fan from the tray.

The light silk fan was not bad either, with its semi-transparent surface, sandalwood handle, and double-sided embroidery of wild chrysanthemums.

If Rongrong had received it, she wouldn’t have been unhappy.

But for Princess Qing…

She had said it herself—this was what others had left behind.

Holding it now, she couldn’t be pleased, nor could she be displeased.

The Empress seemed slightly displeased and waved her hand. “You may all leave and enjoy yourselves. Let me have a moment of peace.”

The five women bowed to the Empress and left the pavilion.

As soon as they stepped out, Rongrong was pulled by Princess Zhaoyang to look at the flowers.

Rongrong turned her head and saw the three people from Prince Qing’s residence with different expressions on their faces.

It reminded her of the last time at Prince Su’s residence, so she called out to Liang Muchen, “Lady Consort, the Princess said there are some hydrangeas blooming beautifully over there. Would you like to come with us to take a look?”

“Sure,” Liang Muchen replied cheerfully. She then turned to Prince Qing, “My Lord, I—”

“Go ahead,” Prince Qing answered without looking at her.

Princess Qing glanced at him indifferently before heading elsewhere.

Liang Muchen bowed to Prince Qing and then took Rongrong’s arm as they went to admire the hydrangeas together.

Princess Zhaoyang was right. These hydrangeas were in full bloom, each one larger than the usual ones, almost the size of a human head.

The imperial garden was filled with so many flowers that the fragrance of the hydrangeas was light, and even up close, it wasn’t overwhelming.

Rongrong and Liang Muchen continued holding hands.

Princess Zhaoyang, fully aware of the situation, soon joined a conversation with the other ladies nearby.

“Lady Consort, after admiring flowers for so long, you must be tired. Let’s find a quiet place to rest.”

Liang Muchen had been thinking the same. Earlier, while admiring the flowers, she had noticed a small secluded corner.

As soon as Rongrong suggested it, she quickly led her there.

There was a small bamboo table with two bamboo chairs beside it. They sat down, free from the concern of others joining them.

“So, how are things going for you at Prince Qing’s residence?” Rongrong asked directly.

Liang Muchen poured a cup of tea for Rongrong from a purple clay teapot and shook her head.

“I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true,” Liang Muchen recalled yesterday’s events with lingering anxiety. “You don’t know, but when the Prince visited my Frosty Residence yesterday, he was about to leave immediately. If I hadn’t pestered him, he wouldn’t have stayed.”

“You really pestered the Prince?” Rongrong was surprised.

Although she had encouraged Liang Muchen to be proactive when they talked at the Su Wang Mansion, the idea of persistently pursuing a man seemed foreign to her.

She herself had never done such a thing.

Thinking about her past life, Jing Rong had spent considerable effort on Liu Zhen, but it was merely a task for her.

Moreover, the effort was more about their interactions and not as personal.

If Liu Zhen had been as opposed to her as Prince Qing was to Liang Muchen, he would have likely given up and gone elsewhere.

In this life, Rongrong realized she was often led by Liu Zhen, trying to avoid him rather than pursuing him.

Reflecting on this, Rongrong suddenly appreciated Liu Zhen a bit more.

She wasn’t used to fighting for things, and it made her happy that Liu Zhen was guiding her.

“Really, last night the Prince even said I lost face for the Marquis of Weiyuan’s residence,” Liang Muchen nodded.

Prince Qing had said something so harsh? Rongrong looked at Liang Muchen with newfound respect.

“Muchen, I admire you. If it were me, I might have just let him go.”

Liang Muchen playfully stuck out her tongue. “It’s okay. Even though the Prince doesn’t want to deal with me, he’s not fierce, so I dared to act boldly.”

Because of Rongrong’s relationship with the Crown Prince, Liang Muchen didn’t dare to speak fully.

She was nervous around Prince Qing but not afraid. However, she was genuinely scared of the Crown Prince—he seemed so intimidating that she felt he might snap her neck at any moment.

Rongrong’s admiration for her only made Liang Muchen admire Rongrong even more.

Rongrong sighed with relief. “That’s good. After saying so much to you that day, I was worried at home every day.”

“What were you worried about?”

Rongrong said helplessly, “I was afraid that I might have given you bad advice and ended up harming you instead of helping.”

“Not at all! Besides, I chose my own path. Even if it was wrong, I can only blame my own fate.”

“Don’t say such gloomy things right after a joyful event!” Rongrong said quickly. “I think Prince Qing quite likes you. Things will definitely get better.”

“Do you really think the Prince likes me?” Liang Muchen asked in surprise.

Seeing her reaction, Rongrong was puzzled. “Isn’t it so?”

Liang Muchen pressed her lips together. “I don’t think the Prince dislikes me as much as he says. Hearing you say he likes me makes me feel more reassured.”

Rongrong was even more confused. “Did he say he dislikes you?”

Liang Muchen nodded, her smile fading and her expression becoming serious. “He said more than that.”

“But I saw him just now…” Rongrong remembered that Prince Qing’s gaze at Liang Muchen, while not full of affection, did not seem hateful either.

Liang Muchen said quietly, “Last night in the bridal chamber, the Prince and I didn’t succeed.”